- Title: ITALY: POPE PAUL'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
- Date: 25th December 1969
- Summary: CROWD IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE: POPE READING MESSAGE: CROWD: DEMONSTRATORS: POPE BLESSING CROWD (NATSOF). Initials AJC/V/AS/OS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 9th January 1970 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVA93JJ6TFGTS7SYJCP0TOQZCQMQ
- Story Text: POPE PAUL MADE REFERENCE TO THREE WORLD TROUBLE SPOTS..... VIETNAM, NIGERIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST.....IN THIS CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TODAY. HE READ IT PERSONALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM THE BALCONY OF SAINT PETER'S BASILICA IN ROME.
ON VIETNAM, THE POPE SAID HE HOPED THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE WOULD BE PROLONGED AND LEAD ULTIMATELY TO AN HONOURABLE RECONCILIATION. THE ALSO SENT SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO PEOPLE SUFFERING IN THE CONFLICTS IN NIGERIA AND MIDDLE EAST.
ABOUT 25,000 PEOPLE WERE IN SAINT PETER'S SQUARE TO HEAR THE SPEECH, WHICH WAS BROADCAST LIVE TO THE WORLD. THE POPE READ THE MESSAGE AFTER CELEBRATING HIS THIRD MASS OF THE DAY, IN THE BASILICA, BEFORE 10,000 PILGRIMS.
POPE PAUL BEGGED MANKIND NOT TO BELIEVE THEY COULD ACHIEVE CHRISTIAN OBJECTIVES WITHOUT BELIEF IN CHRIST. HE SAID NO WORLD PROBLEM COULD BE SOLVED WITHOUT CHRISTIANITY.
THE MESSAGE TOUCHED ON A WIDE RANGE OF PROBLEMS, INCLUDING POVERTY AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY AS WELL AS WAR AND TRIBAL CONFLICTS. IT ENDED WITH THE TRADITIONAL BLESSING....READ IN LATIN, ENGLISH, RUSSIAN AND VIETNAMESE.
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